While archery may at first glance appear to be a somewhat anachronistic sport, its popularity has gained steadily. Much of the reason for this increasing popularity, particularly in hunting, is the far greater challenge involved in shooting game with a manually operated weapon (such as a long or compound bow) as compared to a rifle or other explosively powered weapon. In addition to the above consideration, most jurisdictions provide longer hunting seasons, higher limits, or other considerations to hunters using bows and/or other manually powered weapons.
One of the reasons behind the greater challenges and legal advantages noted above, is that such manually powered weapons as bows are inherently more difficult to aim accurately, particularly over relatively long distances. This is due not only to the lack of sighting means along the propulsive axis of the weapon, as in the case of firearms, but also due to the lesser forces provided to the projectile by manual operation and the consequently slower flight and greater drop in the path of the projectile. As a result, various devices have been developed to aid in the accurate aiming of bows and like manually powered weapons. However, for the most part these devices are excessively complex in order to attempt to achieve the desired accuracy, and consequently are at odds with the inherent simplicity of the sport of archery. This is particularly true in the case of sighting devices developed for use by archers from elevated stations, due not only to the drop of the arrow or projectile while in flight, but also due to the greater elevation of the site relative to the target.
The need arises for a sight for use in archery hunting which not only compensates for variation in range to the target, but also for the difference in elevation between a target and an archer shooting from an elevated site or platform, as in a tree stand. The sighting device or aid must be relatively simple in construction and in operation, yet provide accurate compensation for both range and elevation factors for the archer.